New Delhi, Feb 12: Narmada Bachao Andolan activists Tuesday sought cancellation of a power purchase agreement between the S. Kumars group and the Madhya Pradesh government alleging high price of electricity per unit.

Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer associated with the movement, claimed that cost of the Maheshwar hydel power project on the Narmada river had shot up and if the Madhya Pradesh government bought power from it, it would have to pay an additional Rs.18,000 crore for the next 35 years.

He claimed that the state was currently purchasing power at Rs.2.44 per unit and there was no need to buy power from Maheshwar project since it will be sold at Rs.10 per unit.

He also claimed that around 60,000 people in 61 villages were affected by the hydel project and nearly 85 percent of the rehabilitation and resettlement still remained.

Alok Agarwal, another activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan, claimed taxpayers’ money was invested in the project since successive governments had facilitated loans to it.